Are Paper Bus Timetables still in your area?

[overthewater]

Just after covid there was a thread asking if certain compaines had brought back paper timetables, https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/paper-bus-timetables-are-they-back-in-your-area.247960/

It's been 3 years and it seems more and more are cutting back. How has your area faired? has your local company continued to print the timetables? Or have they decided to pull the plug and believe everything should be online? I'm still surprised Paper timetables have also gone from the railways.

# Stagecoach Scotland:
All three areas no longer produce timetables, East Scotland very last batch was 24th Nov changes. IE if you go now you can grab them but once there gone that it, no more will be printed..

# Lothian
City timetables are still not printed but they do produce a booklet for Lothian country and East coast. They have printed xmas guides for all three compaines.

# Border buses
Have now printed a few addition timetables beyond X62/X95

# Midland Bluebird
Still prints the timetables booklets for Falkirk and the Stirling area plus No10/A, X36/37, X38

# Explore Dundee
Full set is still printed

#McGills West:
Unclear as there not been any Major changes of late.

#First Group in Scotland
Never returned.

# Scottish Citylink
Still printed - On show in most cities bar Edinburgh.

# Houstons
Has printed some, it's unclear on the rest of the Dumfries area

#JMB buses
Still prints them and put many big compaines to shame.

#Prentice
Still has them.

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[JKP]

Borders Buses have paper timetables for some routes. Have recently acquired those for 51, 60, 67/68 from their office at Galashiels Interchange. Those for the X62, X95 and 253 have also been published in the past. These were not available a few weeks ago, but new editions were being promised.

 

[PeterC]

A batch of Carousel South Bucks timetables are in the racks at Chesham Station as well as some for the One.

A shame that the S Bucks will be out of date in the new year

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Both Nottingham City Transport, CT4N (vehicles only I believe, correct me if wrong) and trentbarton produce paper timetables for buses in Nottingham.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Go Ahead Oxfordshire (Oxford Bus Co/Thames Travel/Pulhams) - yes, comprehensive timetable booklet and individual route leaflets in some cases
Stagecoach West (Oxfordshire) - yes, although not necessarily for all routes

 

[lewlott]

East Yorkshire produce timetables for all their routes and quite surprisingly, Stagecoach East Midlands has started producing paper timetables again!

 

[Nammer]

Here in Portsmouth, Stagecoach have printed timetables following a service overhaul in April 2025, but I've not seen any updated ones since. First Solent last printed timetables in September 2019. If you want to print a timetable online from First, it is in a format with the stop number/code underneath each timing point, so it isn't very easy to read and uses up extra paper!

 

[izvor]

Here in Surrey/Sussex Metrobus produce individual leaflets for all their routes. Plus Surrey CC do a free area booklet every so often, no doubt a last hurrah before they are abolished in 2026/7. I think Compass Bus stopped doing their nice booklet recently. In Kent the only ones I see are Go Coach (Go Bus) and the leaflets KCC produce for Regent Coaches.

 

[Megafuss]

Here in the North East of England it is a bit hit and miss...

Stagecoach North East: Leaflets are produced but obtaining them is relatively hard. Every so often you will see them in leaflet racks at Eldon Square and on buses, but it tends to be when they have a service change and then not topped them up

Arriva: Very limited. Believe they only do a timetable for the X93/X94 and Teesside Park. They used to have the best timetable publicity in my opinion (pre-covid). So, it's a shame.

Go North East: Much like Stagecoach, they do produce them, but again they are hard to find - usually available onboard at major service change times but then never topped up.

Smaller operators: Northstar do produce thier own guides. I believe Weardale also do (although I've never seen one in the flesh)

Maybe all this will change when the Mayor takes over buses in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Durham, but I wouldn't hold.my breath.

 

[Metal Mickey]

# Stagecoach Scotland:
All three areas no longer produce timetables, East Scotland very last batch was 24th Nov changes.

I’m not sure about that. You can still pick up timetables at Dundee and St Andrew’s Bus Stations

 

[lewlott]

East Yorkshire produce timetables for all their routes and quite surprisingly, Stagecoach East Midlands has started producing paper timetables again!

A rather interesting development however…

‘‘Our Travel Centre at Hull Paragon Interchange will close permanently at 2pm on Friday, 19 December 2025.

Our paper timetable processes are currently under review, but timetables are available in a customer printer-friendly format on our website.’’

 

[Dai Corner]

Here in south east Wales municipals Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus both still produce them.

 

[py_megapixel]

TfGM still has printed timetables for most of not all routes, available at bus stations and, interestingly, some local libraries. No idea how common that is. They do seem to be in stock at all times even when a timetable change isn't due.

 

[Falcon1200]

I haven't seen any paper timetables on McGills West of Scotland buses recently, and they have changed the times of at least one route the 3 Neilston/Glasgow service.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Transdev very much still publish paper timetables and also leaflets/booklets for days out using their buses. Connexions also publishes paper timetables for their buses

 

[overthewater]

I’m not sure about that. You can still pick up timetables at Dundee and St Andrew’s Bus Stations

And all other locations, as I said the last batch has just been printed so we should get a few months out of the current stock. Once they gone that its alas, there not even printing Xmas leaflets this year.

Personnel they shouldn't have axed them all, there are still places and people who look for them, like St Andrews.

 

[SW Buses]

Here in south east Wales municipals Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus both still produce them.

Cardiff Bus also produce a fold out network map and guide too as well as some summer publicity and currently available is a Christmas travel guide. All obtainable from their information stands at Cardiff Bus Interchange.

There is also some local Stagecoach information, not all areas are covered. These are usually obtained on bus.

 

[Albaman]

It is not my local area , but at Stirling Bus Station in the spring of 2025, paper timetables for McGill's services in the Stirling and Falkirk areas were available and also McGill's service X10/X10A. There was also a paper timetable for Stagecoach services in West Perthshire and a leaflet produced by the local authority for the Callander - Killin etc service. There may have been others too but these were the ones of interest to me.

 

[Mark L]

Here in Surrey/Sussex Metrobus produce individual leaflets for all their routes. Plus Surrey CC do a free area booklet every so often, no doubt a last hurrah before they are abolished in 2026/7. I think Compass Bus stopped doing their nice booklet recently. In Kent the only ones I see are Go Coach (Go Bus) and the leaflets KCC produce for Regent Coaches.

Local government changes in Surrey will see the establishment of a mayoral combined authority which will have responsibility (amongst other things) for transport. It may well continue to produce printed bus timetable booklets although, to be honest, I do wonder how many are actually used by “normal” passengers rather than being collected by bus neds.

White Bus, Carlone and Safeguard all still produce route specific timetable leaflets that are usually available on buses.

 

[richard13]

Devon CC still produce annual printed books and Stagecoach contribute to the Exeter City book.
Cornwall has a printed book for the main changes.
AVMT (East Devon) often have a booklet for their own routes.

Also random people like Seaton (Devon) town Council / TIC print off route timetables.
Bridport TIC, Dorset prints off their local routes as First Wessex don't and Dorset don't.
Other TICs in SW tourist areas do likewise either free or say 20p a sheet.

 

[PeterC]

Also random people like Seaton (Devon) town Council / TIC print off route timetables.
Bridport TIC, Dorset prints off their local routes as First Wessex don't and Dorset don't.
Other TICs in SW tourist areas do likewise either free or say 20p a sheet.

Chesham Town Council do the same

 

[Bedford OB]

In reality, quite a few organisations do still produce printed timetables, including many independent operators. Not as many as one would like, but quite a few.
Examples this year from independents include A2B, Ambassador, BorderBus, Brookline, Central Connect, Centrebus, Chalkwell, Coach Services, Connexions, Cuckmere Buses, Dews, Docherty's, Falcon Buses, Glenfarg CT, Go To Town, GoBus, Going Forward Buses, Grant Palmer, JMB, Lynx, Nu Venture, Northstar, Our Bus, Regent, Sanders, Sole Bay CB, Stephensons, Troopers Lodge, Uno, White Bus, Yorkshire Buses.
There remain a number of quite prolific large operators - examples in addition to some already mentioned here, if I haven't missed them above, include the Go South Coast companies, Reading Buses, Scottish Citylink Coaches.
Authorities that have produced printed timetable material of one sort or another this year include Clackmannanshire, Cornwall, Devon, East Riding, Hampshire (now ceased), Hertfordshire, Norfolk, North Lincs (with Stagecoach & Hornsby's), Nottinghamshire, Orkney, Stirling, Surrey, Swindon, Thurrock, Wiltshire. Others produce or have this year produced maps/service guides - the likes of Bedfordshire (joint authorities), Luton, Medway, Leicestershire, Suffolk, WECA.
Then there are the joint authorities, PTEs, miscellaneous, etc, including Transport for Wales, Dales Bus, Snowdon Sherpa, Heathrow Airport Ltd, etc.
To elaborate on one or two earlier messages in this thread, the Borders Buses booklet for X62 is now out and available. Midland Bluebird have produced further Falkirk and Stirling books this autumn, as well as some route booklets (1, X10, 38).
Perhaps not quite as bad as painted by some, and there will be additional ones coming, for examples new East Sussex books, the first for a long time.

 

[satters]

Worcestershire (Diamond), nor West Midlands (National Express) seem to produce timetable books anymore which is a pain, thankfully my frequent holiday destination of Westmorland / Lake District (Stagecoach) do a comprehensive timetable book and map

 

[65477]

Just days after TMS took over Hedingham and Chambers there was a leaflet drop, by Royal Mail, of a printed timetable for route 42 (Halstead - Sudbury/Bury St Edmunds). I have lived in the area for 25 years and this is the first such leaflet that I recall. The leaflet was branded as Go-Ahead.

The Castle Hedingham parish council have printed their own version as well.

 

[izvor]

Local government changes in Surrey will see the establishment of a mayoral combined authority which will have responsibility (amongst other things) for transport. It may well continue to produce printed bus timetable booklets although, to be honest, I do wonder how many are actually used by “normal” passengers rather than being collected by bus neds.

Indeed, and it will be interesting to see how this pans out for transport - depending of course on any budget settlement.

Do you happen to know if the current SCC Transport Dept will transfer to the MCA, or be split between the unitaries - or both? This would have an impact on far more than the local bus timetables, again I guess depending on how much grant they receive and what they do with it.

 

[Mark L]

Indeed, and it will be interesting to see how this pans out for transport - depending of course on any budget settlement.

Do you happen to know if the current SCC Transport Dept will transfer to the MCA, or be split between the unitaries - or both? This would have an impact on far more than the local bus timetables, again I guess depending on how much grant they receive and what they do with it.

The transport function will pass to the MCA. As to how many of the current Surrey team move over, who knows! The economics of the reorganisation are heavily predicated on “efficiencies” which is what you and I probably would call job cuts at both district and country level. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are voluntary redundancy schemes that lead to a loss of experienced staff. Of course they may well come back as consultants (at a much higher cost but who cares, it’s a different budget!). This certainly has been the case where single tier structures have already been implemented (or should that be imposed?).

 

[route101]

Borders Buses have paper timetables for some routes. Have recently acquired those for 51, 60, 67/68 from their office at Galashiels Interchange. Those for the X62, X95 and 253 have also been published in the past. These were not available a few weeks ago, but new editions were being promised.

I only found the X62 and X95 timetables and I think I got them on the bus as Galashiels racks were empty and office closed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Dec 2025 ==

There was some Warrington Buses timetables at the Bus station the other day. Nothing at Wigan, perhaps behind the info counter.

JMB and Citylink only printed timetables in Glasgow area. You have to ask JMB to send one out.

Edinburgh Bus Station must have Citylink timetables behind the counter.

Edinburgh Airport usually stocks timetables for 747/787 and the coach to Dundee/Aberdeen.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Dec 2025 ==

I haven't seen any paper timetables on McGills West of Scotland buses recently, and they have changed the times of at least one route the 3 Neilston/Glasgow service.

Never come across them. Apparently they were on the buses.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Dec 2025 ==

Here in the North East of England it is a bit hit and miss...

Stagecoach North East: Leaflets are produced but obtaining them is relatively hard. Every so often you will see them in leaflet racks at Eldon Square and on buses, but it tends to be when they have a service change and then not topped them up

Arriva: Very limited. Believe they only do a timetable for the X93/X94 and Teesside Park. They used to have the best timetable publicity in my opinion (pre-covid). So, it's a shame.

Go North East: Much like Stagecoach, they do produce them, but again they are hard to find - usually available onboard at major service change times but then never topped up.

Smaller operators: Northstar do produce thier own guides. I believe Weardale also do (although I've never seen one in the flesh)

Maybe all this will change when the Mayor takes over buses in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Durham, but I wouldn't hold.my breath.

Last time I was at Eldon Square there was no timetables. I thought Go North East tried to make the effort to bring back printed timetables, guess its not happened.

 

[Albaman]

McGill's still publish a paper timetable for their 757 route , Paisley to Clydebank. It is available on the bus ( it was on the one I travelled on today ) but I have not seen one elsewhere.

 

[Bristol LHS]

Nothing from operators in my neck of the woods (former Hambleton district of North Yorks), but we do get:
- market town guides produced by HarBus, the Hambleton and Richmondshire Bus Users (a voluntary group supported by the local voluntary/community services organisation)
- Dales Bus’ excellent Sunday timetable
- Similar Dales Bus summer timetable booklet of buses and trains produced by West Yorkshire Metro but widely circulated up here too

Last operator printed timetables I saw were in the brief period when Reliance ran the 70 from Northallerton to Ripon, and Coatham were running the 80 to Stokesley. Imagine Transdev may have printed timetables for their former Reliance routes from Thirsk down to Easingwold and York but haven’t seen any in the flesh.

 

[farwest]

Transport for Cornwall produces a good timetable book so far. Hopefully a big new one for the changes in February!!